Sparrow's Journey: Chapter Thirteen
WRITTEN: '10 July 2012 Chapter Thirteen: The End of Shadow Fiend ‘Come on, Little Sparrow, time to greet the day,’ Rosella said gently as she tried to wake her four year old son. Sparrow yawned and stretched, before rubbing the sleep from his eyes. ‘Morning, Mummy,’ he yawned. ‘Come on, breakfast time,’ Rosella said, helping him get out from underneath the covers. ‘Rose made her famous chocolate pancakes.’ ‘Yay!’ Sparrow said, now wide awake, hurrying out of the room with his teddy bear in hand. ‘Slow down on the stairs!’ Rosella yelled out after her son, fearing that he would hurt himself. Sparrow, being a highly energetic four year old, paid her no heed, and continued at high speed. He collided with Rose down the bottom. ‘I wish I had your energy,’ she laughed, kissing him on the forehead. ‘Where’s Daddy?’ Sparrow asked sadly, looking around. ‘He had to leave this morning. You've missed saying good bye,' Rose said gently. ‘He told me that when he gets back, he’ll play Heroes with you.’ ‘Really?’ Sparrow said eagerly. ‘Really,’ Rose laughed again, as Rosella walked past them to dish out their breakfast. Once breakfast was down, Rosella led Sparrow back upstairs to help him get dress for the day, while Rose went to her room to get dressed and make her bed. Once both the children were ready, they ran outside to play. 'We're going to have such a fun day,’ Rose told Sparrow as he picked up his toy bow and arrows. ‘I've got so many things planned. I've hidden bottles around the farm you to shoot, the chickens need rounding up, or we can kill some beetles. I’ve planned all sorts of things. So, what shall we do first?' Sparrow grinned up at her and ran off towards the chicken coop, shooting bottles with his toy bow and arrows as he went running by. His family always said that he was like the Heroes of Old when he used his bow. He was talented like they were. In the end, it felt like an hour had past, when in reality a whole day had passed. Sparrow had so much fun. He ended up finding and shooting all of the bottles, he rounded up all the chickens, making Rose exhausted just from watching him, and he killed all the beetles in one of the vegetable gardens. ‘Rose! Sparrow! It’s time to come inside!’ Rosella yelled out as the sun began to set. ‘We’re coming, Mum!’ Rose yelled back. ‘Race ya,’ she added to Sparrow. She, of course, let Sparrow win. ‘You beat me again. I swear you’re getting fast and faster every day!’ ‘Alright you too,’ Rosella smiled fondly down at her children, ‘bath time.’ ‘Do we have to have a bath?’ Sparrow groaned. ‘Of course you do, my little Hero,’ Rosella said, bending down and tickling him. ‘Even Heroes need to have bathes, especially when they’re covered in dirt!’ ‘Okay,’ Sparrow sighed, following Rose up to have a bath. After their bath, Sparrow quietly played in the lounge room with his toys while Rose sat writing on some parchment. She was writing Sparrow a new story for his birthday next week. An hour later, they had dinner. It was the usual dramas with Sparrow. Every night Sparrow refused to eat his vegetables and every night Rosella would say, ‘But if you eat your vegetables, you will become a big strong Hero! How do you think that they became so strong?’ ‘Do you really think so?’ Sparrow would then reply. ‘I know so.’ ‘How do you know?’ ‘Because I’m a mother, and mothers always know everything!’ ‘Okay,’ Sparrow would then say, and he was eat his vegetables, pulling funny faces with every bite, making Rose giggle and Rosella to shake her head. After dinner, Rosella would clean up, and then put Sparrow to bed, singing him a lullaby. ‘Goodnight, my little Hero,’ she whispered, kissing him lightly on the forehead, before leaving the room. '-----SPARROW’S JOURNEY-----''' At the stroke of midnight, Sparrow was woken by a strange sound coming from outside. Curious as to what it was, he climbed out of bed and looked out the window. It was so familiar, but he didn’t know where he heard it from. He ran into Rose’s room and began to shake her. ‘Rose! Rose! Wake up! Rose!’ ‘What’s wrong?’ Rose said, waking with a start. 'Can you hear that music?' he asked her. 'It's nothing, Little Sparrow, go back to sleep,' Rose grumbled. She couldn’t believe that he woke her up over some music. 'But it sounds so familiar. As though it was from some sort of dream...' he muttered. 'I'm going to see what it is.' He tore from the room 'Aww, come on, get back to bed,' Rose grumbled, as she followed him. 'Where are you going?' 'Outside to see what's making that music,' Sparrow replied as he ran outside. ‘Mum! Sparrow’s gone outside!’ Rose yelled, before tearing after Sparrow. Rosella soon came running out of the house. 'Are you mad? It's dangerous out there! Don't go out there!' Rose exclaimed as Sparrow headed to the farm’s exit. ‘Don't go. Please, don't leave me again. I don't want to be alone anymore!' she added, when she saw that he wasn't listening. 'What did you say?' Sparrow asked, coming to a halt in front of the front gate. What did she mean about leaving her? He never left her. They have never left each other's sides, or had they? Sparrow had a strange vision of Lucien Fairfax shooting Rose, killing her instantly. He stared at Rose. 'Please, we have a perfect life here! You'll ruin everything!' Rose pleaded. ‘Let him go, Rose,’ Rosella said calmly, coming to a halt. Her eyes were filled with tears. ‘He must do as his instincts tell him.’ Sparrow frowned. ''‘Choose, Hero,’ Slayer grinned nastily.'' ''‘He doesn’t have a choice,’ '''''Rosella'' said firmly, ‘for I’ll make it for him.’'' ‘''Rosella''… don’t!’ Matt yelled, knowing what she was about to do. ‘I love you,’ she whispered before slitting her own throat on Slayer’s sword. ‘No!’ yelled Matt, while Rose began to cry.' Sparrow shook his head, trying to get rid of these horrible visions. ‘Don’t fight them, Little Sparrow,’ Rosella said quietly, pulling a crying Rose against her. Sparrow nodded his head and turned to face the music again. Somehow he knew that it was the one behind giving him these visions and that it was calling out to him. He knew that he needed to get it. He ran towards it. 'No!' came Rose's agonising scream from behind him. 'No wait!' Rose cried, trying to shield Sparrow behind her. 'Don't! Noooooooooo!' 'Rose was then silenced forever as the bullet left the pistol and hit her straight in the heart.' The vision had become clearer. Part of Sparrow was screaming for him to go back to her, but he knew that he couldn't. He knew that he had to move forward. He had to find that music. As he ran along the path, he saw dead bodies of villagers burning, with a scary man that looked like him standing over them. Terrified, Sparrow ran forward even faster, wishing that he had his toy bow with him. Then, he saw it. Up a head was a music box. It was the music box that was playing the music. That was calling for him… but why? What significance did it have? Hesitantly, he picked it up and everything changed. His memories came flooding back to him. '‘Let her go, Slayer,’ Matt ordered, raising his sword threateningly. ‘All of your men are dead. You’ve lost.’' '‘Actually, I’ve won,’ Slayer said gleefully. ‘I hold the last card. You do anything and I’ll slit your beautiful wife’s throat… and you don’t want that, which means you have no choice but to surrender to me. I can then seek my revenge by killing you and then doing anything I want with your wife and your gorgeous children.’' 'Sparrow’s arms tightened around his father’s neck. This man was scaring him. Meanwhile, Matt stood there knowing that Slayer was right. Either way something bad would happen. If he surrendered, his wife and children would suffer for the rest of their lives or be killed. If he fought back, '''Rosella'' would be killed. He was trapped.'' ‘Choose, Hero,’ Slayer grinned nastily. ‘He doesn’t have a choice,’ ''Rosella'' said firmly, ‘for I’ll make it for him.’ ‘''Rosella''… don’t!’ Matt yelled, knowing what she was about to do. ‘I love you,’ she whispered before slitting her own throat on Slayer’s sword. ‘No!’ yelled Matt, while Rose began to cry and Sparrow stared at his mother’s body, not understanding what just happened. Sparrow began to cry as he remembered that day. It was the day that his perfect world began to unravel. ‘You’re leaving us again!’ Rose yelled angrily as she got breakfast ready. ‘You and Sparrow will be safe here,’ Matt said patiently. ‘I need to see my old friend Giles, Rose. It can’t wait.’ ‘But…’ ‘Don’t worry, Rose. I will be back. I promise.’ Yeah, right! You abandoned us! Sparrow thought angrily, tears still falling down his face. 'What are you?' Lucien asked, looking Rose and Sparrow up and down, before hurrying over to one of his desks. 'Wait, there was something here…' 'My Lord, what happened? What's that light?' cried Rose, fear evident in her voice. Sparrow was beginning to wish that he had stayed in bed. 'Quiet!' snapped Lucien. Gone was the gentle, fatherly tone. 'You're Heroes but you're not any of the three. One of you is the forth,’ he muttered to himself before he picked up a pistol off his desk and pointed it at the children. 'This isn't what I wanted, but nothing must stand in my way!' 'No wait!' Rose cried, trying to shield Sparrow behind her. 'Don't! Noooooooooo!' Rose was then silenced forever as the bullet left the pistol and hit her straight in the heart. Eight year old Sparrow fell to his knees and cried even harder. He didn’t want to see this again. It hurt too much. For centuries, this academy trained the most supremely gifted sons and daughters, bound together by the blood that flowed in their veins. Once worshipped by the people of Albion, the Heroes became feared and hated. No man today remembers the night the Guild burned, and now it lies forgotten. But the heroes are not all gone… you are here, and the same heroic blood flows through you. Look around at these walls, she continued, your forebear, one of the mightiest Heroes that ever lived. At a young age he suffered a devastating loss, from which he never truly recovered. Very much like yourself. But when the world tried to crush him, he fought back. He grew strong, strong enough to shape the world as he saw fit. You must do the same. But I did that, Sparrow thought as he watched his blood begin to awake. I did as you said that I needed to do, Theresa. I have shaped the world! 'Is that it then?' Sister Hannah screamed. 'My father is gone and the Golden Oak is flourishing again. So life now goes on like before, does it?' Yes, it does. The world does not care for our pain, Sparrow thought sadly. He hated seeing her so miserable and in pain. He wished he could do something to ease it. 'That was something else,' Mad-Dog said, handing Sparrow a bag of gold and the Crucible trophy. 'Best Crucible in years!' 'A classic performance that will be remembered for all time,’ said Murray. ‘Or at least as long as there are people around to remember it.' ''' Would anyone remember what he did? Or would they forget about him like everyone did his father? Or was as the banshee said, and that his life was meaningless? 'You will make an excellent soldier,' the Commandant said happily. '' ''‘Thank you, sir.’ 'You’re dismissed.' He saw himself as the monster everyone then saw him as. He saw that he had become one of those people that made the world seem heartless. He had made it even more cold and uninviting. 'Reaver has again fulfilled the bargain,' said a Shadow Judge, 'but when the sacrifices stop, we shall come for him. This he knows.' Did Reaver feel the same way as Sparrow felt? Did he feel guilty after condemning his region to death? 'Pitiful creature. Misguided and weak, just like its owner,' Lucien said softly again, aiming the gun right at Sparrow heart. Sparrow didn’t even react. He just sat there, too hurt to move. 'The last time I killed you, it tore my heart out. Of course, you were only a child... but then... so was I.' No, you weren’t, Sparrow thought coldly. You were someone who had just lost everything and tried to run away from the pain… just like me. I have become the man I so despised! ‘But you don’t have to remain that way. You have the chance to change,’ said a quiet voice behind him. Sparrow whipped around and saw Matt standing a short distance away. ‘D-Dad?’ Sparrow said uncertainly. ‘Is it really you?’ ‘Yes, it’s really me, son,’ Matt said, smiling. ‘Why did you abandon us?’ Sparrow said, trying not to cry. That banshee had really messed up his emotions. ‘I didn’t want to,’ Matt said quietly, looking into Sparrow’s upset, black eyes. It killed him to see what had befallen his son. ‘But my death prevented me from returning.’ ‘Giles said that you went to see your girlfriend.’ ‘Ex-girlfriend,’ Matt corrected. ‘News had reached Giles of Madison’s capture by Slayer’s men. I went back to Rookridge to help her only to discover that she was still fuming over our break up and had joined Slayer to get revenge… she soon got it. While I was trying to help her, Slayer snuck up on me and plunged his sword through my heart. I promise you that even to my dying breath; I never stopped worrying about you and your sister. I would have gone to the ends of the earth for the two of you!’ ‘I’m sorry,’ Sparrow cried. ‘Sorry I thought and said all those horrible things about you!’ ‘It’s alright, Little Sparrow,’ Matt said, embracing his son tightly. ‘I really messed up, didn’t I? I wish I had seen that sooner!’ ‘It’s not your fault,’ Matt said firmly. ‘You had a hard childhood. I would have been surprised if you didn’t act the way you did. And many people would have acted the same way if they had have been in your shoes, and many people have. Look a Lucien Fairfax… and Thomas, the Hero of Oakvale. Both of them had difficult childhoods and they have done terrible things too. The only difference is that you have a chance to start over; to make yourself a better future.’ ‘What if I don’t want to? What if I want to stay with you, Mum and Rose?’ ‘Then that is your choice, but you will be leaving many loved ones behind.’ ‘I have no more loved ones. Lucien killed Shadow.’ ‘True, but he wasn’t the only one.’ The white scenery changed around the father and son to that of a prison cell in the Spire. In the cell were Hammer, Garth and Reaver. Hammer was crying hysterically, with Garth trying to comfort her, looking glum. Reaver was staring indifferently at a wall. ‘Why is Hammer crying? What hurt her?’ Sparrow demanded. ‘She is crying because she believes you to be dead,’ Matt said softly. ‘Regardless of everything you have done, she cares for you a lot, as does Garth. Even Reaver has been affected by your death, though he does not show it. You have brought something special into their lives. Each of them cares about you and would be saddened if you were to leave… as would Theresa.’ ‘Theresa is still alive?’ ‘Of course she is. As far as I know, she is immortal. Your death would hurt her a lot. She raised you and has watched over you for many years. You are like a son to her, Sparrow. And for a parent to lose a child… you cannot imagine the pain they feel.’ ‘I’ll go back,’ Sparrow said shortly. ‘I’ll finish what I have started. Lucien must be stopped. There are enough heartless monsters in this world, without Lucien and me adding to it.’ ‘I know you’ll do the right thing,’ said Matt. ‘Take the box, and go to him.' 'I will revenge Rose and I will make you and Mum proud,' Sparrow promised. 'You already have, Little Sparrow,' Matt said, before he disappeared as Sparrow’s world went black once more. '-----SPARROW’S JOURNEY-----' Sparrow awoke, to the sound of a Commandants’ voice. ‘See this man that lies dead before me?’ he said. ‘This was Officer Two Seven Three. He was believed to be the most trusted soldier as he was the most obedient. However, he betrayed Lord Lucien when he helped the Will-user Garth escape. His body shall now be hung in the barracks to serve as a message to all of you what will happen if you betray Lord Lucien. Betrayal is punishable by death! Take the traitor’s body to the barracks!’ Sparrow knew that he would have to move quickly if he had any hope of rescuing the other Heroes and defeating Lucien. Thankfully, the music box was giving him strength. Just as a guard grabbed hold of Sparrow, the Hero leaped to his feet and sent the guard flying in to the crowd of his comrades, before taking his sword and stabbing it through the Commandant’s chest. He looked around for the other Commandants but he could not see them. He looked at the startled guards. ‘If you value your life, you will free all the prisoners and leave the Spire immediately,’ Sparrow told the guards and soldiers calmly, before walking off. Surprisingly, now of them were stupid enough to do the opposite of what he said. Sparrow ran to the original Commandant’s chambers and used one of the cullis gates to get to the Spire’s port. Once there, he headed up a flight of stairs and into the white light he knew Lucien would be hiding behind. He wasn't disappointed. Lucien was indeed there and he was performing the same ritual, Sparrow and the other three Heroes had performed before they were ambushed. Each Hero was screaming in pain and they all looked like they were going to pass out from the amount of pain they were going through, if their faces were anything to go by. Sparrow didn’t blame them. The ritual was painful enough no matter what, but to do it merely a few hours after doing it already… Sparrow was surprised that they were still alive. As Sparrow walked forward, Lucien caught sight of him and his eyes bludged. 'Your power is truly astounding. Twice you have cheated death,' Lucien exclaimed. 'Yet your abilities are pitiful compared to the power of the Spire, which will soon be mine. Now... sleep,' he ordered, sending a force of energy at Sparrow. It was the same spell he’d used on the Hero when he’d first arrived at the Spire, only this time, Sparrow wasn't going to give in. 'Nice try, Lucien, but your little trick doesn't work on me,' Sparrow snapped as he took out the music box and held it in front of him. 'What is that?' Lucien asked, sounding a little unsure. 'The Relic,' Sparrow muttered as a jet of light went and hit Lucien right in the chest. 'What are you doing?' Lucien cried out. 'What do you think? I'm stopping you.' 'You think a mere trinket will save you?' Lucien asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice and distract the Hero before him. Sparrow ignored him. 'You think anything can?... Stop; think about what you are doing. I will put an end to chaos... Stop it you fool. I order you to stop.' In the end, Sparrow did stop, but only because he had stopped the ritual. Lucien wasn't happy. 'You consider that a victory?' he snarled. 'Your merely delaying the in editable. All that you struggled for will be crushed under the majesty of the Spire. Why? Why must you interfere? What are you fighting to protect? The world that robs us of what we loved most? Is that what you think is worth preserving?' ‘I’m preserving the innocence that is destroyed by men like you and me,’ Sparrow said quietly. ‘Because of people like us, the world has become a heartless place that robs us of what we love most. You robbed me of my sister and dog, just like I have robbed so many other people.’ Lucien stood there silently for a moment, before drawing his pistol again. ‘You fool!’ he hissed, taking aim, but Sparrow was faster. He pushed Lucien off the platform they were standing on, high above the ground, with the use of his Will. Lucien fell screaming to his death. Then, there was silence. 'Oh, I thought he'd never shut up,' said Reaver, though Sparrow wasn't sure if he meant Lucien talking or him screaming. Reaver then looked up over at Sparrow and his eyes widened. Clearly he hadn’t realised who Lucien had been talking to due to the amount of pain he had been in. Hammer and Garth were the same. Garth’s eyes widened to when he saw Sparrow standing there, before he smiled. 'Lucien's... dead?' Hammer said as she struggled to her feet. 'So, what happens now?' 'I guess we go our separate ways,' Sparrow said hesitantly, taking in all their faces. Hammer jumped and turned to look at him. ‘Sp-Sparrow?’ she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. ‘You’re – you’re alive?’ ‘You can’t get rid of me that easily,’ Sparrow said weakly, trying and failing to smile. Before any of the Heroes could say another word, Theresa appeared in the middle of the room. 'Theresa!' Hammer exclaimed, wiping her eyes, furiously. 'Thank goodness you're alright!' 'Thank you for your concern, but now isn't the time for concern,' Theresa said in her usual calm voice. ‘Sparrow, it is time you gain you reward.' 'My reward?' Sparrow said blankly. 'Yes, your gift for saving the world from a mad and selfish dream. The Spire has awakened, and it still has the power to grant one wish... yours. Come, take my hand.' As Sparrow walked up and over to Theresa, he swore that he could hear Rose speaking to him. 'It's alright, Little Sparrow, don't be afraid.' Once Sparrow took Theresa's hand, she took them to a place that was entirely white. 'Where are we?' Sparrow asked solemnly. 'You stand in the heart of the Spire, as the Archon of the Old Kingdom did thousands of years ago,' Theresa explained. 'Now it is you turn. Make a wish, but choose wisely, for it will affect the all of Albion.' 'So… so I can wish for anything?' 'No, there are only three wishes that you can choose from.' 'And what are these wishes?' 'Sacrifice: you may choose to revise all those who died in the Spire's making. It is a selfless gift; your only reward will be the gratitude of all of Albion, but know that you will never see your loved ones again. Love: those dearest to you, even your faithful dog, will be restored to life, but their lives come at the cost of all the lives lost in the building of the Spire. Or wealth: more gold than you can imagine, to spent on whatever you want to, but any you loved, and all the prisoners will remain dead. What will you choose?' Sparrow stood there silently before whispering, ‘Sacrifice.’ Money no longer held any appeal for him. It was just cold hearted like he had been. So that eliminated wealth. As for love, while he craved to have his family and Shadow back he knew that they would no longer fit into this world and that they were happy where they were. After all, one should not mourn for the dead, for the living are the ones in need of pity. They are the ones that can get hurt. 'So be it,' Theresa said gently. 'All those who have lost family and friends to the Spire have had their loved ones returned to them, confused but unharmed. One day, all of Albion will be filled with gratitude, and praise the name of this great and selfless Hero forever. They will know what you gave up for their sake.' She took his hand and teleported them back to the others. 'We heard everything,' Hammer said quietly. Sparrow wasn't able to look at her or any of the others. He just wanted to be alone. He just wanted to suffer his loss in peace. 'Yes, a wish was made, and Albion must live with its consequences,' said Theresa. ‘I don’t know what to say,’ Hammer said quietly, looking over at Sparrow. ‘That’s the last thing I expected of you. You’ve done a lot of questionable things, but that was very noble.’ ‘Yes, yes, yes, yes,’ Reaver said impatiently, though Sparrow had a strange feeling at the Thief was trying to get the attention away from Sparrow because he saw how uncomfortable the younger Hero was. ‘But on to more important matters: what about me? What do I get? Cash would be nice.’ 'That is up to you,' Theresa answered casually. 'I can send you anywhere from here. What do you wish?' 'I wish to return home, to Samarkand,’ Garth answered immediately. 'Ooh, I have never been to Samarkand,' Reaver said, looking highly interested, ‘with its hot nights, exotic substances and uninhibited people.' 'It's nothing like that!' Garth said hastily. 'Trust me, I'll find the exciting bits.’ 'Fine, but stay out of my way,' Garth warned, before turning to Hammer. 'Hammer?' 'No. I'm done,' Hammer said quickly, shaking her head, before turning to Sparrow. 'I know why we got attacked in the cave. The day we met. You brought those hollow men in with you. Two monks would have found nothing, but a warrior finds battle... always. I want to go north,’ she told Theresa. Sparrow looked at her quickly. ‘Study with those warrior monks. I was so sick of avoiding violence, but now I'm sick of causing it.' 'Well time to go,' Reaver said cheerfully. 'Goodbye, Hero. I simply can't thank you enough for dragging me into this mess. Oh, I should tell you. I have to make the occasional sojourn back to Albion. I have an obligation to some friends in Wraithmarsh. So, until then.’ Sparrow watched as Reaver disappeared in shimmering blue light. 'I had my doubts about you at first, but I'm glad me met,' Garth told Sparrow. 'And we shall meet again. You shall count on it.' He too then disappeared. ‘Guess I’ll leave Albion to you,’ Hammer said sadly to Sparrow. He looked sadly back at her. ‘Not like I can do anything about it. You did some amazing things. It’s a shame about all the rotten stuff, though. I guess this will be our last goodbye.’ ‘I guess so,’ Sparrow said sadly. He watched as tears slowly began to form in Hammer’s eyes. ‘Take care of yourself, Sparrow,’ she said, before looking over at Theresa. 'Farewell, Hammer,' Theresa said, smiling. ‘See you, Theresa,’ Hammer replied before she too disappeared. Theresa looked over at the sad and vulnerable Sparrow. ‘Oh, my Little Sparrow,’ she said, going over and embracing him, as he began to cry again. He had finally reached breaking point. All the emotions he had kept bottled up were now breaking free. ‘I’m sorry,’ he muttered into her shoulder. ‘For what?’ ‘You have given me so much and all I gave you was grief. I am thankful for everything you have done for me, Theresa.’ ‘I know, Little Sparrow. Will you be alright? Would you like to stay here for a while?’ ‘No, I need to be alone.’ ‘Is there anywhere in particular that you wish to go?’ ‘No, just send me back to Albion, please.’ ‘Very well. Take care of yourself, Sparrow. And don’t do anything stupid.’ Sparrow was then sent to Oakfield. When he arrived at Oakfield, it was then that the last of the music box’s strength left him, and the bullet wound under his heart began to give him terrible pain. It was agonising. With every step he took, he became weaker. In the distance, he could hear the Oakfield warning bells. Someone had noticed his presence. He didn’t care. Nothing mattered to him now. He was now alone, and if he was gone, no one would miss him. Reaver was gone, Garth was gone, Theresa was gone, Shadow was gone and Hammer was also gone. He had no one left. ‘Stop right there!’ the sheriff yelled, running towards Sparrow, followed by a dozen guards. Sparrow did stop. In fact, he collapsed, and slowly began to lose consciousness. ‘Avo, what happened to him?’ asked one of the guards, as Sparrow’s eyes closed. ‘Don’t know, but we should get him back to Bowerstone.’ Sparrow’s world went black and silent.